With some of the development projects undertaken for the 2008 Pune Commonwealth Youth Games still incomplete, the state government has begun audit of funds for the Games. An audit team of the Comptroller and Auditor General visited PMC and PCMC offices on Monday. The team was in Nagpur a month ago. The funds used by the Pune Municipal Corporation and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation for infrastructure development are also under the scanner.

The CAG team is looking for any special funds received by the civic bodies, officials said. The auditors took all the information related to the infrastructure work for the projects that were sanctioned for the Commonwealth Youth Games. The details of tender documents and work orders have been furnished to them, said Vinay Deshpande, officer-on-special duty and in-charge of JNNURM cell.

The Indian Express had highlighted the civic administrations failure to complete the work for the international event. The paper had also carried a series of news reports about remarks of the auditor on the expenditure. A budget of Rs 422 crore was approved under JNNURM for 40 infrastructure projects for the Games. The civic body, however, spent Rs 342 crore and struggled to complete work till the last minute. Some of the projects remain incomplete while work on five projects could not begin as the authorities failed to acquire land. The PMC has given information on the status of the incomplete work and made it clear that a few projects could not take off, he said, adding, it was upto the auditors to study and submit a report on it.

The delay in completing the work was due to hurdles in land acquisition. The civic body is hopeful of getting the land so that the work can be completed by March 2012, he added.

Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Asheesh Sharma said the CAG team asked questions about funds under JNNURM received by the PCMC for development projects. We told them that the PCMC did not receive any development funds for Games. We carried out all the works on our own, he said. Sharma said from providing water to the Games village, road development and bridge works, the PCMC spent funds from its pocket.

The civic chief however said the CAG team regularly conducts the civic audit and generally this time of the year, it visits civic bodies. Officials said the two-member CAG team inspected some documents available with the audit and accounts departments.